Arsenal crash out of Champions League with semi-final defeat to PSG

Paris Saint-Germain weathered an early Arsenal storm before goals by Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi sealed a 2-1 victory to send them into the Champions League final.

The French champions’ 3-1 aggregate triumph means they can now finally win the trophy they crave for the first time when they face Italian heavyweights Inter Milan in Munich on May 31.

Trailing 1-0 from last week’s first leg, Arsenal dominated the early stages in the Parc des Princes with PSG keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma making vital saves. The Gunners were made to pay for not taking their chances as Ruiz then slammed home a stunning left-foot shot past David Raya in the 27th minute to double PSG’s aggregate lead.

Raya saved Vitinha’s poor penalty in the 69th minute, which had been controversially rewarded for a handball, but shortly afterwards Hakimi made it 2-0 on the night with a sweetly-struck shot that gave Raya no chance.

Bukayo Saka replied in the 76th minute and then blazed a glorious chance over the crossbar as the visitors fell short of reaching the final for the first time since 2006.

Relive all the action from Paris with our live blog below:

Speculation over Reeves’s future as winter fuel U-turn demands mount

Sir Keir Starmer is under growing pressure from his own MPs and political opponents to reverse his decision to strip 10 million pensioners of winter fuel payments.

The row has exploded after Reform’s huge surge in the local elections last week, causing panic among many MPs that Nigel Farage’s party could win their seats.

But it has also fuelled speculation that the prime minister could soon be forced to reshuffle his cabinet, with question marks over whether Rachel Reeves can survive as chancellor.

One Labour source suggested: “Rachel is running out of friends. It is just not working.”

Others have suggested that if Sir Keir is to reverse the decision on winter fuel cuts, Ms Reeves “would need to be replaced first”.

Questions remain over who would be a viable candidate to replace her in the Treasury, as another MP noted that Sir Keir has promised Ms Reeves will be chancellor until the next election. Meanwhile, Downing Street has continued to stand by the chancellor.

It comes as new polling from The Times and Sky News – conducted by YouGov – put Reform UK at its highest recorded vote share, sitting seven points ahead of Labour.

Mr Farage’s party was on 29 points, while Labour was on 22. Lagging behind were the Tories on just 17 points, while the Liberal Democrats were on 16.

The anger over the local election results and the fear of Reform seizing power at the next election has brought despair to many MPs.

One MP told The Independent: “I’m not exactly experiencing the sunny uplands at the moment.”

Another darkly added: “It feels very Weimar Republic at the moment. Post hyperinflation, but pre Nazi.”

Meanwhile, the red wall group of Labour MPs, made up of around 45 MPs from red wall constituencies, warned that Sir Keir’s response that he would “go further and faster” in delivering his plans had “fallen on deaf ears”.

They warned that voters across the UK had told the Labour Party “loudly and clearly that we have not met their expectations”.

“Responding to the issues raised by our constituents, including on winter fuel, isn’t weak – it takes us to a position of strength,” a statement added, urging the prime minister to “break the disconnect between Westminster and the red wall areas”.

The red wall is made up of areas in the Midlands and northern England which have typically supported the Labour Party.

One of the red wall MPs, Stoke-on-Trent Central MP Gareth Snell, came out publicly about his concerns. Raising issues of factories in his constituency closing, he told the BBC that his faith in the government “is dwindling.”

On Tuesday, the prime minister acknowledged his government needed to “explain the decisions that we’ve taken” after a “disappointing” set of election results, but his press secretary said the government will not be “blown off course”.

While there were reports that the government was considering whether to increase the £11,500 threshold over which pensioners are no longer eligible for the allowance, the prime minister’s official spokesperson ruled out such a move, saying there will “not be a change to the government’s policy”.

The spokesperson added that the decision “was one that we had to take to ensure economic stability and repair the public finances following the £22bn black hole left by the previous government”.

But there is mounting pressure from within his own party – and from the opposition benches – for Downing Street to U-turn on the issue.

Veteran Labour MP Diane Abbott urged the government to restore the winter fuel allowance in full, saying a review of the policy alone wouldn’t be enough for pensioners, nor would it be enough to “restore Labour’s battered reputation”.

Meanwhile, Labour peer and Welsh first minister Eluned Morgan warned she is “losing patience” with UK Labour, urging the government to have a rethink.

And former transport secretary Louise Haigh said Labour’s “unpopular decisions are overshadowing the good ones”, calling for the party to explore a wealth tax to win back voters following Reform UK’s success in the local elections.

Speaking to BBC Newsnight, the MP for Sheffield Heeley said: “I don’t think we can underestimate how catastrophic those results were last week for the Labour Party. I think the unpopular decisions are overshadowing the good ones.”

Labour MP for Leeds West, Richard Burgon, told Times Radio Labour cannot be “stubborn” on winter fuel payments, saying the policy was both “deeply unpopular” and wrong.

“If the government wants to show that it actually gets it, in the words of the prime minister, then the government must fully reinstate the winter fuel allowance, not just tinker around the edges. And we can’t be dragged, kicking and screaming, into rethinking on this policy,” he said.

The issue blew up in Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch going on the attack while Labour MPs watched uncomfortably from the other side.

Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper also piled in, saying the government’s refusal to change course was “a completely tone deaf” response to the local elections.

“The public are rightly furious at the government’s decision to rip vital support from millions of the most vulnerable, yet ministers simply are not listening”, she said.

The decision last July to restrict the winter fuel payment to the poorest pensioners was intended to save around £1.5bn a year, with more than 9 million people who would have previously been eligible losing out.

But cabinet ministers acknowledged the winter fuel payment decision had hit the party at the ballot box.

Asked whether the cut had been part of Labour’s poor electoral performance, business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: “I think that has been a feature. I think the prime minister himself has said that, and we’re not sugar-coating those results; they’re very challenging for us.”

Prince Harry speaks for first time since BBC interview at Diana Award

The Duke of Sussex has been seen publicly for the first time since he revealed he “would love a reconciliation” with the royal family in an emotional interview.

Prince Harry joined a panel at an event for the Diana Award – a youth initiative set up in memory of his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales.

The duke spoke in Las Vegas on Tuesday evening, days after an interview with the BBC about losing a legal challenge over his security provisions in the UK.

“Through the Diana Award, I’ve had the privilege of meeting young people who have turned adversity into action. That’s not just inspiring—it’s the kind of untapped potential we can’t afford to overlook,” Harry told the panel.

“Far too many young people are locked out of leadership pipelines because we’ve failed to build truly inclusive and accessible pathways.”

According to the Diana Award – which says it has the support of both of Diana’s sons – Harry’s appearance “underscores his continued commitment” to the initiative and “continues the legacy of his mother, Princess Diana, whose unwavering belief in the power of young people remains at the heart of this mission”.

He spoke to Legacy Award winners Sikander ‘Sonny’ Khan, from Michigan in the US, and Christina Williams, from Jamaica, about youth leadership and how employers can proactively create pathways for young people to enter and thrive in the workplace, as he helped launch their new Pledge to Invest initiative.

Meanwhile, the duke’s long-standing rift with his family was brought back into the spotlight last week, after he claimed the King will not speak to him and he does not know “how much longer my father has”, adding that the court battle over his security “is a family dispute”.

The prince stressed that better security was key to repairing his relationship with his family.

He said some members of his family would never forgive him for the book he wrote, Spare, in which he revealed a series of royal secrets.

“There have been so many disagreements between myself and some of my family,” he explained.

However, Harry said he had now “forgiven” them.

“I would love a reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore,” he said. “I don’t know how much longer my father has.”

Sycamore Gap suspects ‘feared becoming public enemy number one’

Two friends accused of cutting down the Sycamore Gap tree thought it would be “a bit of a laugh” and failed to foresee the public outrage, a jury heard on Wednesday.

Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers then both refused to admit chopping down the tree in fear of becoming “public enemy number one”, prosecutor Andrew Wright KC told Newcastle Crown Court on the sixth day of the trial.

The famous tree had been located in a sloping dip of Hadrian’s Wall for around 150 years, before it was felled in the early hours of 28 September 2023.

Graham, 39, from Carlisle, and Carruthers, 32, of Wigton in Cumbria, both deny two counts of criminal damage to the sycamore and the Roman Wall, which the tree fell struck when coming down.

They are accused of driving overnight from Cumbria to the landmark in Northumberland, where one of them cut the tree with a chainsaw while the other filmed the act on Graham’s mobile phone.

In his closing speech to jurors, prosecutor Richard Wright KC explained how the tree felling was met with outrage.

“From Felixstowe to Falkirk, from Bishop Auckland to Barnstable, up and down the country and across the world, the reaction of all right thinking people to the senseless felling of the Sycamore Gap tree has been one of sadness and anger,” he said.

“Who would do such a thing? Why would anyone do such a thing? Take something beautiful and destroy it for no good reason.

“Go to the trouble of causing irreparable and senseless damage to an adornment to the rural landscape of Northumberland, and in the process damage the ancient structure of Hadrian’s wall.”

He added: “For all that they [Graham and Carruthers] must have thought that this was going to be a bit of a laugh, they woke up the morning after and soon realised – as the news media rolled in, as the outrage of the public became clear… it must have dawned on them that they couldn’t see anyone else smiling in there.

“And that far from being the big men they thought they were, everyone else thought that they were rather pathetic. Owning up to this arboreal equivalent of mindless thuggery would make them public enemy number one. And neither of them has got the courage to do that.”

Jurors heard earlier in the trial that Graham’s phone and Range Rover had been traced to the Sycamore Gap area. Graham claimed he was at home at the time of the offence, and his co-accused took both.

On Graham’s phone, the jury heard, was a video which the prosecution suggested showed the Sycamore Gap tree coming down. Also on the device was a picture prosecutors say showed a wedge of wood taken as “trophy” in Graham’s car boot.

Carruthers also denies any involvement. He claimed to have been at home with his partner and newborn baby on the night of the felling.

Earlier on Wednesday, Mrs Justice Lambert told the jury to consider the case “calmly and dispassionately”. Setting out her legal directions, she said it was jurors’ duty to focus solely on the evidence put forward in the trial.

The trial continues.

Trump envoy says Ukraine ready for demilitarised zone controlled by peacekeeping force

Allowing Russia to play in the 2026 World Cup could be a “good incentive” for Moscow to end the war in Ukraine, Donald Trump has said.

Russia has been banned from international competitions by Fifa and Uefa since its 2022 invasion, and will not play at the upcoming World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico.

Mr Trump was unaware that Russia was banned from the tournament. “I didn’t know that. Is that right?” he said at a meeting of Washington’s World Cup 2026 taskforce.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino, sat next to the US president, confirmed it was correct.

Mr Trump continued: “That’s possible. Hey, that could be a good incentive, right?” Mr Infantino is “the boss” when it comes to a decision over Russia’s participation, Mr Trump added, saying that he has “nothing to do” with calls to reinstate them.

It comes after Donald Trump’s envoy to Ukraine claimed Kyiv is prepared to accept a 30-kilometre demilitarised zone with Russia.

Keith Kellogg said the zone, which could see both Ukrainian and Russian forces both withdrawing 15 kilometres, would be controlled by peacekeepers from the ‘coalition of the willing’ – the group of countries ready to join peacekeeping efforts in Ukraine.

Bucket-list beaches: Crystalline waters and secret shores in Dalmatia

Dalmatia’s coastline is, quite simply, spectacular. With the lion’s share of Croatia’s 1,200-plus islands, islets and reefs, Dalmatia’s stretch of the Adriatic has some of the country’s most beautiful beaches and seascapes. Whether you’re on the mainland coast or island hopping, you’ll be wowed by towering cliffs that hover over sheltered, pine-fringed coves, and broad sweeps of beaches

The sheer variety of swimming spots means there’s something for everyone; families in search of long stretches of beach with watersports, vibing beach bars and all the facilities to romantics looking for secluded pebbly coves to revel in tranquillity.

If Croatia’s beaches weren’t appealing enough, the coastal waters have just been crowned the cleanest in Europe, beating holiday hotspots including Greece, Spain and Italy to be ranked number one. The European Environment Agency checked out more than 22,000 beaches throughout the European Union, and Croatia’s coastal waters came out on top. In fact, out of nearly 900 Croatian beaches tested, over 99 per cent got the highest rating of ‘excellent’, owing to low industrial pollution, minimal over-construction and a lack of mass commercialisation.

So, beyond being picture-postcard idylls, Dalmatia’s beaches should be your top choice for a relaxed, sustainable holiday in a protected natural environment. To get you started, here’s a selection of Dalmatia’s unmissable beaches.

A popular inclusion in ‘world’s best beach’ lists, Zlatni Rat (pictured above) – also known as Golden Horn – is a curvy, V-shaped beach of fine white pebbles flanked by vivid turquoise waters on the southern coast of the island of Brač. Watch the windsurfers in action as you bask in the sun, or take respite at one of the wood-shaded beach bars. Follow the coastal footpath to the seafront promenade of the much-loved village of Bol – and as it’s only a 20-minute walk to Zlatni Rat, this makes the perfect base for your stay.

For a more laid-back vibe and beautifully calm sea, just a few miles west of Bol is the blissful Murvica. Find a shady spot under the pines to flop after your swim and snorkel in crystal clear waters, or take in vistas of Vidova Gora, the highest peak on the island. There’s a delightfully rustic beach bar where you can grab a cold drink and a bite to eat, and while you’ll have to bring your own parasols, you can reach the beach easily from the carpark.

Punta Rata’s Blue Flag beach is used to vying for the title of Europe’s top beach, and once you set foot on its long expanse of pebbles, it’s clear why. This breathtaking idyll, north of the Makarska Riviera town of Brela, appears to go on forever – fringed with pine trees and surrounded by waters that offer fabulous snorkelling. Look out for the Brela Stone, a giant rock that rises from the sea and is found on many local postcards.

It takes a bit of effort to reach award-winning Stiniva Bay on the southern coast of Vis island, but it’s 100 per cent worth it. Take the rocky footpath downhill to this glittering bay sheltered by two curving cliffs that almost close the cove off from the sea, with only the smallest boats able to squeeze through the gap. There’s just enough room for a beachside café, with its terrace offering superb views.

Heading to the northeastern coast of Vis, and easier to access than Stiniva Bay, you’ll find scenic Stončica Beach. Its sparkling blue waters and mix of white sand and pebble beach, shaded by woods, make this truly picture perfect. The shallow waters, with a very gradual slope, are perfect for children. Stop for lunch on the covered terrace of the waterside restaurant and feast on freshly grilled fish and meat.

Tucked away on Hvar island’s southern coast is the unassuming Dubovica beach – surrounded by tumbling slopes covered in maquis and olive trees. In contrast to the sophisticated beach clubs of Hvar Town, this tiny coastal treat, set in a cove beside a 17th-century church, is perfect for relaxing, while the turquoise waters are made for sea safaris. Refresh and refuel at the beach restaurant or bar.

Back on the mainland on the Makarska Riviera, Velika Duba is a peaceful, pebbly bay backed by fragrant pines and connected to the village of Blato via a pleasantly shaded footpath. It’s all about simple pleasures here: swimming in gin-clear waters, lazing in the sun, doing a bit of snorkelling, having a cold drink in the beachside bar and falling under the spell of a Dalmatian sunset.

For more travel inspiration, information and to plan your trip visit Central Dalmatia

‘What the hell’s going on?’ Biden slams Trump for ‘appeasing’ Putin

Former President Joe Biden rebuked Donald Trump’s handling of Vladimir Putin and Russia’s conflict with Ukraine as “modern-day appeasement” in his first interview since leaving the White House in January.

The Democrat sat for a wide-ranging interview with the BBC in Delaware this week, addressing the current state of global affairs and his thoughts on his successor.

Biden responded with blistering criticism when pressed for his opinion on Trump’s behavior since taking office, including the president’s threats against Greenland, making Canada the 51st state, talking about acquiring the Panama Canal, and renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.

“What the hell’s going on here? What president ever talks like that?” he told the Today program’s Nick Robinson. “That’s not who we are. We’re about freedom, democracy, opportunity, not about confiscation.”

Speaking about Ukraine, the former president said that his administration supplied the nation with “everything they needed” to provide for their independence, adding that the U.S. was prepared to offer support if Putin further escalated the war. Trump had previously argued that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had played Biden “like a fiddle.”

Biden also condemned the Trump administration for suggesting that Ukraine would have to cede some territory to Russia in order to secure a peace deal and end the conflict.

“It is modern-day appeasement,” Biden said, referencing the policy of former British prime minister Neville Chamberlain, a diplomacy strategy that attempted to agree to Adolf Hitler’s short-term demands to avoid all-out war breaking out, which failed.

Biden said anybody who believes Putin is going to stop the conflict if Ukrainian territory is conceded “is just foolish.”

“I just don’t understand how people think that if we allow a dictator, a thug, to decide he’s going to take significant portions of land that aren’t his, that that’s going to satisfy him,” he said of the Russian president. “I don’t quite understand.”

Tensions between Washington and Kyiv exploded in late February when Zelensky was ambushed by Trump and Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office.

Talks that began more cordially devolved into a furious shouting match with Trump accusing the Ukrainian leader of “gambling with World War III,” and Zelensky initially leaving without a minerals deal needed to secure U.S. help in ending the war.

“I found it sort of beneath America in the way that took place,” Biden said.

Biden, the last living U.S. president to be born during World War II, shared his fears about NATO dying out and U.S. withdrawal under the Trump administration. Trump has repeatedly stated that the U.S. is being “ripped off” by its allies and Vance said that America continues to “bail out Europe.”

“I think it would change the modern history of the world if that occurs,” he said. “We’re the only nation in a position to have the capacity to bring people together, [to] lead the world. Otherwise, you’re going to have China and the former Soviet Union, Russia, stepping up.”

Biden argued that he didn’t “think it would have mattered” if he had decided to drop out of the race for the White House sooner amid concerns over his cognitive acuity in the summer of 2024.

Speaking about dropping out of the race and allowing his Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place to take on Trump in the November election, Biden remained bullish.

“We left at a time when we had a good candidate. Things moved so quickly that it made it difficult to walk away,” he said. “And it was a hard decision. I think it was the right decision. I think that… it was just a difficult decision.”

Reflecting on Trump’s return to office, which has seen the president issue a flurry of executive orders, dismantle federal departments and foment a global trade war, Biden attempted to draw comparisons from when he left office and now.

“Our economy was growing. We were moving in a direction where the stock market was way up,” he said. “We were in a situation where we were expanding our influence around the world in a positive way, increasing trade.”

Trump boasted of his “very special” first 100 days in office before he listed off his administration’s efforts in a so-called “achievement speech” during the largest rally of his second term in Michigan late last month.

When pressed on Trump 2.0, Biden said: “I don’t see anything that was triumphant.”

Tearing down Ukrainian flags will only serve to embolden Putin

In the shifting sands of British politics, Reform UK is starting to make waves – particularly at the local level. Their recent electoral success can’t simply be written off as a protest vote, and the two main parties are deluding themselves if they think multi-party politics isn’t here to stay.

But with power comes responsibility. Now in charge of ten councils, Reform’s policies are no longer just rhetoric –they’re being put into practice. And rightly, they’re now subject to far greater scrutiny.

Take, for example, Reform’s decision to remove Ukrainian flags from council buildings. This isn’t just a trivial gesture. It reveals a startling naivety about what the war in Ukraine is really about, the depth of Britain’s involvement, and the wider consequences for Europe – including Britain, if Russia is allowed to claim even a partial victory.

Flying the Ukrainian flag is not about “virtue signalling” or picking sides in a partisan scrap. It’s about standing with a democratic nation under siege. Ukraine is fighting for its sovereignty against an unprovoked, brutal invasion by a global aggressor.

Taking that flag down sends a message – whether intended or not – that Reform UK is either indifferent to, or quietly sympathetic toward, Russian aggression. That’s not bold leadership; it’s recklessness. And it risks putting Reform on the wrong side of history.

This war is difficult, no doubt. But the thousands of Ukrainian flags flying across Britain reflect the public’s clear and consistent support, and a sobering reminder of the danger Ukrainians face every day. The flag represents resistance to tyranny, a fight for self-determination, and a defence of democracy. The very values Reform claims to champion. So, again – why pull it down?

Some Reform councillors claim the flag is “divisive” or that “it’s not our war.” But in a world increasingly echoing the dark warnings of 1937, that’s a dangerously short-sighted view. Cyber attacks, espionage, coercion, intellectual property theft, sabotage of undersea cables – we are already in a conflict, operating in the so-called “grey zone.” Russia is not just attacking Ukraine, it’s targeting the West – and Ukraine is holding the front line for us.

Make no mistake: the optics matter. Putin’s regime watches Western disunity like a hawk. Every flag taken down is a signal. Every act of hesitation is seized upon. Reform UK may think it’s making a statement about British identity, but globally, it’s being read as weakness, division, and retreat.

From day one, Britain has been a leading ally of Ukraine – sending weapons, humanitarian aid, and training troops. Flying the Ukrainian flag at council buildings reflects that national stance. Reform’s decision to go off-script risks undermining the UK’s united front. What kind of message does that send to our allies? That solidarity only goes as far as a council vote?

No one is saying the flag should fly forever. But as long as Ukraine is under attack and Britain remains in the fight – symbolically, economically, militarily – the flag matters.

Reform UK wants to be taken seriously. That means knowing the difference between posturing and principle. Taking down the Ukrainian flag isn’t patriotic. It’s tone deaf. Let’s put those flags back up – and stand with them.